Hen&#39;s nest.



J. C. SHIGLEY.

HENS NEST.

APPLICATION FILED .IULYH, I916.

Patented Jan. 2,1917.

2 SHEETSSHEETI 7 -4 56 1.

J. C. SHIGLEY.

HENS NEST.

APPLICATION FILED JULY1I, 191s.

Patented J an. 2, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- m: mmnas PETERS cu Pnom u mu msmm; 1am n c JOHN C. SHIGLEY, OF MAXBLASS, NORTH DAKOTA.

HENS NEST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

Application filed July 17, 1916. Serial No. 109,705.

To all whom it may concern:

novel arrangement for suspending a hens nest in a casing wherein as the hen occupies the nest the opening through which she enters the casing will be automatically closed, and the hen will not be disturbed while occupyingthe nest.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is adapted to act as a trap nest, whereby a hen, upon occupying a nest will automatically close and lock the entrance through the casing, and will be thereby imprisoned in the same.

A further object of the invention is to providea .device of this character which is easily and simply constructed, inexpensive to manufacture,and one which will be very eflicient .in operation.

- With these and numerous other objects in view, my invention consists of the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be herein referred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and claimed.

Figure, 1 is a substantially vertical longitudinal section of my improved hens nest; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with the top removed; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the front of the nest; .Fig. 4; is an elevation of the rear end of the same; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a portion of the rear end of the trap taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

In describing my invention I shall refer to the drawings in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views and in which the numeral 1 designates a substantially rectangular shaped casing having in the front end 2 of the same an opening 3, disposed adjacent its bottom, and at one side thereof.

Positioned within the casing 1 a hinged pan l, which is adapted to receive the nest 5, which the hen occupies when in the device. This pan 4 is mounted on a hinged bar 6, which extends transversely between the sides of the casing i, and the same is secured thereto at its forwardend as shown at 7. The bottom of the casing is open a short distance below the forward end of the hinged pan 4, so that the same may swing freely within the casing without any possibility of binding against its bottom.

The pan 4 is normally held in elevated position by means of a coil spring 8, which has its lower end 9 secured to the free or rear end of the pan, and the upper end 10 of the coil spring secured to the lower end of the screw bolt 11 that projects downwardly from the top of the casing, and is vertically adjustable by means of a thumb nut '12 which is secured to its upper end above the topof the casing. By this means the tension of the coil spring may be adjusted to accord with the weights of difierent varieties of hens.

Positioned in a longitudinally extending groove 13 in the bottom of the casing is a rock shaft 14:, which has projecting laterally and upwardly from the rear end of the same a crank 15, which projects up :through an opening in the bottom of the casing, and has its extremity fastened to the bottom of the hinged pan l, adjacent the rear end of the same. Any type of connecting means between the extremity of the crank 15, and the bottom of the pan may be used, preferably the type illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The front-end of the rock shaft 14: projects out past the front of the casing, and has formed thereonan upwardly projecting upright arm 16 which is bent adjacentits free end as shown'at 17, and has loosely mounted on said bent portion a swinging door or closure 18. This door or closure 18 is mounted on the arm adjacent its top, and the same is provided'with a plurality of openings 19 therethrough, for the purpose of allowing a light to enter'the casing, when this door is disposed over the outlet of the tending arcuately, downwardly and laterally therefrom. The door 18 is also provided with a guide which comprises a wire 22 bent intermediate its ends as shown at 23,

and having two portions formed thereby" V thecoil spring 8 the hinged pan & in which the nest is disposed, will be normally held with its rear end'elevated, so that the crank 15will be lifted, and hence the arm 16 will be in upright position as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, whereby the door 18 willlbe normally held at one side of and a little above the opening- 3 through the front of the casing. Upon alien entering the casing through said opening and occupy ng the nest, the hinged pan will be depressed against the tension of the spring 8, whereby the crank 15 will be moved downwardly, and the shaft 14 rocked which will cause the arm 16 to swing laterally and downwardly, and the swinging door 18 being secured thereto will swing over the outlet 3 thus keeping the hen in the casing. The swinging door 18 is mounted in such a manner upon the bent portion of the arm 16, that the same will always be held upright although the arm 16 swings in an arc. The extremity of the arm 16 will be guided by the guide 21, while the downward and sidewardrmovement of the door 18 will likewise be guided by the guiding means 22 provided for the same. Upon the, hen leaving the nest the coil spring will again elevate the pan 1 and consequently uponthe rocking of the shaft llthe door Wlll be swung back to its original position. The rear end 26 of the casingis provided with elongated opening 27 therethrough,

which is disposed adjacent the swinging free end of the pan 4:, so that when the pan 4 1s in elevated position the inner'end of this 7 opening will be closed, but when the pan is idepressed'the opening will be free. Disposed alongside of the opening 27 isa depression 28 the purpose to be hereinafter more fully described.

VMounted above the opening 27, and on the outer surface of the rear end 26 of thecas ing isa latch member 29, which comprises a horizontal portion 30' hingedlyiand slidably mounted with respect to the rear end of the casing in bearings 31, and having one of its ends bent laterally as shown at 32'and provided with a depending handle 33 on its extremity. The other end of the horizontally extending portion 30 is formed with a depending portion 34:, that has its extremity bent laterally and inwardly as shown at 35 and disposed normally in alinement with the opening 27. In operation this latch is so positioned that the end 35 will benormally held in the opening 2.7, and upon the dewhen the hen leaves the nest, the same will not return to its elevatedposition, and hence the opening in the front end of the casing will remain closed and the hen twill beentrapped in the casing. The upward movement of the handle '33 will release the hinged '35 pan 1-, and if the lien does not'still occupy the nest, the same will swing upwardly and open the outlet'in the casing. Whenit is, however, not desired to use this automatic latch, the horizontal portion of the latch Y member is moved longitudinally, until the portion 35 of the member will bedisposed within the depression 28 in the end of the casing, whereby the nest will act automatically as was first described.

From the foregoing description of the construction and operation of my improved hens nest, the manner of applying the same to use with the operation thereof will be easily understood, and it will be seen that I i provide a simple and efficient means for carrying out the objects of this invention. Theswinging'door '18 used as a closurefor the front of the casing is perforated, so that when the hen desiresto leave the nest," she F r will be attracted by the light filtering through the door and hencewill move forwardly to release the operating means whereby the door is swung from over the opening to allow the I claim 1. A hens nest comprising a casing'having an opening in its front, a tilting pan hen to leave the casing. J

with one end normally elevated disposed, in said casing, a rock shaft disposed be-' neath said casing, a crank on the rear end of said shaft engaging the elevated end of said pan, an arm on the front end of the shaft disposed across the front of the caspression of said pan, and guiding means for said door and arm.

i 2. A hens nest comprising a casing having an opening in its front, a tilting pan ing, a door loosely mounted on said arm and adapted to swing laterally and downwardly to close the opening in the casing upon dewith one end normally elevated disposed in said casing, a rock shaft disposed beneath said casing, a crank on the rear end of said shaft, an upright arm on the front end of said shaft disposed across the front of the casing, said arm being bent laterally adjacent its free end, a door loosely mounted on said bent portion and adapted to maintain an upright position upon movement of the arm, an arcuate guide for the free end of said arm spaced from the front of the casing, and a spaced guide for the swinging door disposed in difl'erent horizontal planes for disposition across the'front of said door when the same is opened or closed.

3. A hens nest comprising a casing having an opening in its front, a pan pivotally mounted in said casing and adapted to swing vertically, a rock shaft in the bottom of the sing, a crank at the rear end of said shaft operatively connected with the pan, an arm on the front end of the shaft disposed across said front of the casing, a door loosely pivoted on said arm and adapted to swing laterally and downwardly to close the opening in the casing, a guide for said arm and door, and a spring connected with said pan to hold the same normally elevated whereby the door will be held in open position. j

4. A hens nest comprising a casing, means to automatically open and close an opening in the same by the elevation 01' depression of a normally elevated hinged pan having its free end disposed adjacent the rear of the casing, said end of the casing having an opening therethrough normally closed by the elevated pan but opened upon the depression of the same, a latch including a horizontal portion slidably and hingedly mounted on said rear end having a lateral oifset at one end with a handle depending therefrom, a downwardly bent portion at the opposite end of the latch member with a laterally bent extremity positioned in the opening in said casing and adapted to project therethrough to lock the pan when the same is depressed, and said extremity being movable out of alinement with the opening upon sliding movement of the horizontal portion of the latch member In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JOHN G. SHIGLEY.

Witnesses:

WILL FREEMAN, R. E. ANDERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington. D. G. 

